


Zelink Week 2017

by Princess_Diarist



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: F/M, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on Tumblr, Zelink Week
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-31
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2019-03-11 23:15:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 11,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13534593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Princess_Diarist/pseuds/Princess_Diarist
Summary: Compilation of all the prompts posted on the first (January) and second (october) versions of 2017.





	1. The Beat of Your Heart

Rain pours outside a cabin in Faron woods. The droplets tap rhythmically on the roof and windows. Thunder roars on the distance. Inside it, a couple rests on a bed, bodies tangled to the sheets. **  
**

They happen to be a certain Queen, and her Hero.

Zelda can’t think of a more perfect soundtrack for the heartbeat she was listening carefully, pressing her ear to its owner’s chest, who was soundly asleep.

Knowing that heart beat for her made her absurdly happy. She cuddled closer to him, just to enjoy a bit more his warmth.

‘I’m not going anywhere, love’, he said, making her lips curl into a smile.

‘I know, Link’, she rested her chin on his chest. ‘and even less with this storm going on’.

‘We can go put the Master Sword to rest tomorrow’, he said, looking at the sheathed sword on the armchair across the room, ‘after all, no danger is upon us anymore’.

‘You are right’, Zelda affirmed, sitting in front of him, reaching a manuscript. ‘And we’re cozy’. 

She was only wearing his sweatshirt.

‘You are really hooked with that book’, Link noted, ‘Are those Queen Zelda IV’s journals?’

‘A transcription of them, actually’ - she showed him the cover - ‘The original is over 500 years old, there is no way I could have borrowed it’.

‘Anything interesting so far?’, Link sat next next to her, peeking at the scanned pages.

‘Her Champion has a  _major_  crush on her’, she looked at him, ‘She has no idea’.

‘That’s not cool!’, he complained, ‘I was in his place for quite some time, he surely had a hard time’.

‘I am hoping things will get more interesting between them’ - she kissed his cheek - ‘but boy, she was hella productive… Internet didn’t exist back then, so…’

She felt a kiss on her neck and fingers combing through her head, just the way she liked it. Zelda put the book aside.

‘I assume you want to be even more “ _productive”_  than you already were today?’, she asked coquettishly.

He just nodded.

She didn’t complain. In the end, all she wants is his heart beating for her. 


	2. Discourse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt for day two of the first Zelink Week of 2017.
> 
> Setting is a Modern AU I developed exclusively for this stage.

Zelda was still in a daze. I don’t blame her. But her inner strength pulled her through. **  
**

Even though I succeeded in saving the King and Queen’s lives, I feel like I failed anyway.

The King barely made it, and the surgery to remove the shards and shrapnel from his back was underway. I had gotten some too, but nothing critical. The Queen, besides a couple of scratches and bruises, was unharmed.

Her life was almost wrecked, and yet, she’s still heading the emergency meeting as if nothing happened. She still had her coat and gloves on. She had been working for several hours nonstop, discussing all the aspects and the information available so far.

‘The Sheikah delivered the preliminary report on the attack’, the Internal Affairs Minister informed Zelda, ‘they are already doing a background check on a list of potential suspects, mostly anti-monarchy groups’.

‘Ms. Impa already gave me that information, Sir’, Zelda told him, ‘and I think this goes beyond a mere car bomb attack, if such a criminal act can be called “mere”’.

‘What do you mean, Your Highness?’, the Minister enquired.

‘In the phone call the King received minutes before the attack, the voice on the phone said to “surrender The Golden Power” to them’, I intervened.

A massive gasp was heard in the room. That was the first time that concept was heard outside history books. But it was not unfamiliar to Zelda and - very recently - I.

In recent years, groups that believed the quests of yore for the Triforce were an invention of the government - thus the monarchy - to keep people under control. The amount of conspiracy theorists on the subject grew like wildfire. To worsen things up, there hasn’t been threats of any kind in Hyrule for centuries, and magic went gradually into disuse after the reign of Daphnes IX, son of Queen Zelda IV - a renowned and skilled magic user.

I guess people just stopped believing in something beyond themselves.

‘If anyone dares to pull the “the Triforce is a myth” discourse from now on: politicians, the media, anti-systemic movements and such’, Zelda raised from her seat at the head of the table, taking her gloves off her pale hands, ‘I’ll tell them the Triforce of Wisdom sends their regards’.

The meeting room was filled with the golden light emanating from Zelda’s right hand.

On her hand was the mark that proved the Triforce is not a mere symbol or the subject of tales of magical princesses and heroes in green.

‘The terrorist that attacked my father is clearly looking for the pieces of the Triforce. We need to move, and fast’, Zelda declared. ‘Meeting is adjourned until further notice’.

Zelda gestured for me to follow her.

‘My father didn’t deserve this’, she affirmed as we dashed through the halls, ‘They were after me’.

Her hands were into fists, shaking. Her fury was understandable.

I remained silent. Words are useless in these situations.

Soon we arrived to her bedroom. She kicked off her pumps, and threw the coat and gloves on a chair.

‘You should be resting’, she spoke, her voice cracking, ‘My father is alive thanks to you, after all’.

‘I am fine, Zelda’. I patted her shoulder. ‘But there’s something I need to tell you’.

I undid the bandage on my left hand.

Zelda’s eyes widened.

‘You are the bearer of Courage’, she said in awe. ‘Goddeses’.

‘This is the reason we all survived’. The golden symbol in my hand emitted a soft light, which grew stronger when her hand touched it.

‘We need to find the Master Sword’, she faintly voiced.


	3. The Breath of The Wild

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt for day 3 of Zelink Week. 
> 
> Modern AU.

Faron woods looked beautiful after the rain. After putting the Master Sword to rest, Link and Zelda wandered through the forest. **  
**

‘We used to camp so often here when we were kids’, Link remembered. ‘Even Aryll joined us several times’.

‘You and your thing for survival stuff’, Zelda laughed. ‘You have a penchant for the wilderness; it’s like you were blessed by the Great Fairy or something like that’.

‘If it wasn’t for my skills, you’d be still screaming “I AM THE LIZARD QUEEN” all over the place’, he said with a disapproving look, waving his arms wildly. ‘Remember when you ate Amanita mushrooms while playing truth or dare? We were about 11 years old at the time’.

Zelda’s face turned into a mortified rictus as she remembered the childhood anecdote that almost ended badly.

 

_Zelda had arrived from her dare kind of dazed, but Link started worrying when she said ‘she could feel the breath of the wild’._

_What the hell was that?!, he asked himself. He then realized something. It was not good._

_‘Zellie, please tell me how was the mushroom you ate!’, Link shook his friend by the shoulders, ‘It’s important!’_

_‘Alright, grasshopper knight’, Zelda chuckled, ‘it was red with white dot thingies, like the ones in the videogame you like so much… do you think I can jump as high as Mario now?’_

_Link looked quickly on his survival guide trying to see if the one she described was poisonous or not. Flipping through the illustrations, he found a matching image: Amanita muscaria._

_‘Although classified as poisonous,reports of human deaths resulting from its ingestion are extremely rare’, Link read, ‘Amanita muscaria is noted for its hallucinogenic properties… Goddesses, Zelda, you ate… Zelda?’_

_Link ran around, flashlight in hand, searching for the young Princess, until he heard her laughter. He found her on top of a rock in Faron Spring._

_‘Hear me, vassals of the forest!’, she declaimed loudly, ‘I’m no longer Princess Zelda! - an owl hooted as if it answered her - I AM THE LIZARD QUEEEEN!’_

_And then, she jumped into the pond without a second thought._

_Link dragged her from the waters, dripping wet, a water lily tangled to her hair. Once back into their camp, both dried themselves in front of the fire. After taking a couple of charcoal pills, Zelda slowly returned to her senses._

_‘Please, Link, don’t tell anybody what just happened’, she pouted, ‘I feel so stupid’._

_‘I promise’, Link answered reluctantly, ‘only because your mom and dad would kill me’._

_‘Ow, my tummy hurts’, Zelda complained, ‘I feel like…’_

_Her stomach emptied violently, to Link’s surprise._

 

‘Yeah, I  _do_  remember’, she snickered nervously, ‘I never ever again played those types of games, nor ate magic mushrooms’.

‘I can’t remember why you took the dare’, Link wondered, ‘Do you?’

‘I was  _high as fuck_  and you can’t remember?!’ Zelda blurted, ‘You asked me if I liked someone, you dork!’

‘Well, excuse me,  _Mushroom Princess;_  no,  _Lizard Queen_ , for not remembering’, he retorted, ‘but who did you like back then?’

‘You!’, she yelled, cheeks already crimson. ‘So of course I wasn’t going to tell you!’

‘But you did!’, he faced her, caressing her flaming cheeks, ‘I thought you were still hallucinating, though’.

‘Goddesses!’, she buried herself in Link’s chest, ‘I sucked at keeping secrets!’

The young man had a hearty laugh at his beloved’ expense. But her point of view made him particularly happy.

 

_After Zelda stopped throwing up, Link helped her and then left her bundled on her sleeping bag._

_‘You saved my life…you are a true hero, Link’, Zelda mumbled. ‘a hero of the wild’._

_‘There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you, Zellie’, he patted her head, ‘you’re my best friend’._

_‘And you’re mine’ - she rubbed her eyes - ‘I love you…’, she said, before drifting to sleep._

_Link blushed fiercely at her words._

_‘I love you too’, he answered, ‘but you don’t mean that as I do’._

‘Glad to know you proved me wrong’, he whispered, hugging her tightly, as they kept strolling through the woods.


	4. Hazardous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt for day four of Zelink Week, modern AU.

_This is it_ , Link thought,  _this is the end of the road._ **  
**

On the depths of the cave in the mountains they already entered, was their sempiternal enemy. His hatred knew no boundaries of space and time.

_If I fail I will drag all of Hyrule with me. But if I can save her…_

‘Zelda, stay behind, please’, he requested her, avoiding meeting her eyes.

‘What?!’, she yelled,her voice echoing on the cave, ‘No fucking way!’

‘You can’t put yourself in this hazardous situation’, he claimed, ‘You are the ruler of Hyrule!’

‘Indeed I am, and sure as hell I’ll do what I must to assure the well-being of the kingdom’, she rebutted, ‘If I must fight, I will, even if I’m not as skilled as you’.

‘I don’t want you to get hurt!’, he insisted, ‘I…’

‘We’ve been through this whole goddessesdamned ordeal together’, she interrupted him, ‘I won’t stay here waiting like a useless bum while you get your ass kicked  _alone_ ’ - she held him tight - ‘If we go down, we go down  _together_ ’.

Resistance to her stubbornness was useless.

Link sighed deeply, tightening the embrace.

‘You don’t have any weapon to defend yourself’, he said nervously, their foreheads touching, ‘I can give you my crossbow if you want, you’ve always had better aim than I did’.

Zelda broke the embrace, laughing.

‘I do have my own weapon!’, she boasted, ruffling Link’s messy strawberry blonde hair, ‘ _my magic_ , the best companion to the almighty Master Sword!’.

‘But you have never used it before!’, he exclaimed.

The walls of the cave started rumbling. On the dark distance, a red and black aura approached.

‘Ganon found us’, Link unsheathed the Master Sword immediately.

Zelda stepped in front of him, and took a deep breath.

‘Spirits of the light! Wielders of the great power that shines far and wide upon the lands of our world… In my hour of need, grant me the light to banish evil!’, Zelda shouted, as light enveloped her and formed a shining bow, from which a light arrow blasted towards the enemy.

Link was amazed at what he saw. It was a mix of fierceness, raw strength, and beauty.

_We can do it. We will beat him_ , he said to himself,  _together_.


	5. With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt for day four of Zelink Week, Modern AU.

The opera house was full that night. Not only for the show about to be presented, but also because of the attendance of the Queen Zelda of Hyrule, escorted by the most outstanding knight in the Kingdom: Captain Link of Faron, bearer of Courage, who saved the  former King and Queen from the attack that could have killed them, and also found and captured the terrorist that planned and executed the thwarted attack. **  
**

It was the first public appearance of them since the fall of the undisclosed attacker.

The closeness between them dated since childhood, but only recently had caught the eye of the media, mainly because Queen Zelda aided Link in his quest to capture the ones involved in the terrorist attack against her parents, which had left the King gravely wounded and bound to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. For them, it had all the elements of an epic love story. But none of them showed anything beyond a healthy friendship.

But none of the media knew something was already happening between the two - the protagonists just didn’t know yet.

The lights went down, indicating the show was about to start. The curtain opened, and briefly the musicians started playing. The harmonious sound of a piano filled the room.

As the music went in crescendo, and strings along with soft percussion joined the piano, Zelda looked discreetly to her suited up escort. An even more subtle smile escaped her lips.

Zelda was lost in her thoughts,fidgeting with the embroidered details on her midnight blue dress, when she felt Link’s hand over hers.

‘Are you alright?, he whispered, ‘you look upset’.

‘I’m alright, Link’, she answered. ‘My head is just working overtime’.

Link just nodded. They remained silent until the interlude, which was full of small talk. The lights went down again, indicating the show was to resume.

‘I need to talk with you later…privately’, Link told her before the music started.

‘Why not now?’, Zelda inquired out of curiosity. ‘We are alone in the box, as long as we seem to be paying attention to the music nobody will notice we’re talking’.

‘I prefer to do it later’, he answered, sounding tired.

He was mute for almost the rest of the music piece. Until he muttered some words.

‘I’ve been trying… to convey into words some feelings I’ve had lately… about you’, he said slowly, looking away.

Zelda remained silent, as an intense piano solo started, a flurry of notes reflecting her feelings in that instant.

‘All that happened recently made me realize certain things’, he said in a low voice, looking at the ensemble playing. ‘Like how dear, how special, how precious and important you are to me, Zelda’.

Zelda’s eyes widened at the last sentence.

‘I see’, were the only words coming out of her lips.

The final movement unraveled as they remained silent.

Someone had to make the first move.

Link looked at her and swallowed hard. He was about to put his thoughts into words when he was interrupted.

‘We have been together since we can remember, Link’, Zelda commented, ‘You are in almost every single memory of my life, always as my friend. My best friend’.

Link felt a stab in his heart. Any of Ganon’s attacks were nothing against the uncertainty of her answer.

‘But I only realized some weeks ago that’ - she held his hand discreetly - ‘I want to be with you… as something more than friends’.

They entwined their fingers, holding their hands tighter, and looked at each other, smiling.

The final notes of the music echoed across the hall. They let go of each other’s hand.

‘I wish I could kiss you right now’, Link said with a grin and a slight blush on his cheeks.

‘We’re unfortunately in a very public place’, Zelda noted, applauding the ensemble’s performance. ‘We can go talk in depth after this, if you want to’.

He nodded.

Some minutes later, they left the opera house discretely. No one noticed that the Queen was holding onto her Champion’s arm closer than ever.


	6. Courage, Wisdom, Power

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt for day six, divided in three drabbles. Modern AU.

_Courage_

The first thing Link remembers after the explosion was a burning sensation on his left hand, and being blinded by a golden light.

Once he could see again, although hazily, his eyes focused on the King’s body. He didn’t know if he was dead or alive, but he lifted him and carried him out of the debris into safety.

It’s the least he could do for his best friend’s father. She would never forgive him if he didn’t.

People, despite the shock, took action immediately, and called an ambulance.

Once in the hospital, Link realized small acts of heroism can have larger consequences.

A very well-known symbol had appeared on his left hand.

He was going to be bound forever to her, whether he liked it or not.

_Do I have what it takes to be a hero?_ , he wondered.

The only thing he was sure about is that he would take the green and go through all the realms for her.

 

_Wisdom_

She couldn’t believe it was over.

Zelda looked at Link. He was as incredulous as her.

Ganon - or whatever was called the human-shaped black cloud with red eyes they fought against - vanished once the Master Sword pierced through him.

_Was it wise to celebrate?_ , both wondered.  _No, it was not._

They left the cave in silence, hand in hand, just like in their childhood camps when passing through a rough area.

Once they went down the mountain and returned to the woods, they contacted their people to share the news.

Everybody rejoiced, but nobody celebrated. Despite victory, lives had been lost, and Zelda’s father would be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

‘Do you think victory is always this bittersweet, Link?’, she asked some days later.

‘I think so’, Link affirmed, ‘But it’s up to us what we make of it: we can wallow on what was taken away from us or move on and help the ones affected by all this mess’.

She smiled. Zelda sometimes thought the Goddesses had given the Triforce of Wisdom to the wrong person.

‘This whole ordeal was discreet compared to the ones of yore’, Zelda commented, ‘This kingdom was torn into shambles more than once, and they rose over the difficulties. We will be fine’.

She looked at the mark on her hand, and she knew she wouldn’t be on her own: all the Zeldas before her - and their wisdom - had her back.

 

_Power_

On one of the entries of Queen Zelda IV journals a letter is enclosed, written by none other than Zelda III, known as The Princess of Destiny:  _Carry yourself with Courage and Wisdom, for those are the keys for true Power._

The night before the crowning - she had already taken the oaths after her father’s accident, but the other rites had been put on hold - she did her litany meditating on that sentence.

She had always been smart, clever, and brave, although a bit impulsive and straightforward, but skilled enough to traverse the waters of politics and power swiftly.

People cheered once the crown was placed upon her head.

She would need as a partner someone who had the guts and willpower to keep her in her tracks. Paraphrasing what Zelda IV said during her own coronation, a crown is an empty object without company.

She already had someone in mind, who was approaching her.

Zelda’s heart raced seeing her beloved in his gala uniform, reciting his oaths. She didn’t need those. She already knew his loyalty was eternal.

She pinned one of several condecorations he received for his service to the kingdom. If this wasn’t a very high profile occasion, she already would be kissing him senseless.

‘Marry me’, Zelda whispered to Link while she pinned the last brooch, a Triforce enclosed in a laurel wreath, symbol of the Queen’s Champion.

‘I should be asking you that’, he retorted, keeping a serene expression, ‘power already got to your head’.

‘Is that a yes or a no, Champion?’, she wanted clarification.

‘I’m yours. Forever and always, so yes’, he answered tenderly.

She smiled widely as the crowd applauded.

_Fuck protocol._

In less than five minutes, all of Hyrule had seen the picture of the Queen kissing her Champion full on the lips.


	7. Breathless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt for day seven. Modern AU.

As it was custom, the King or Queen’s Champion chamber was always next to their protegé.

Zelda had read her namesake predecessor was really close to her champion: their rooms even had a secret passage that connected them!

As far as she had read into her journals, the Queen would frequently sneak into his room and vice versa to share each other’s company in a very friendly, innocent way, with no double entendres involved.

Considering the quick turn of events in the relationship between the current champion and her, she thought having such a way to his room would be  _more than convenient._

_Naughty Zelda_ , she said to herself,  _the Goddesses would banish you into the Dark Realm if they knew the things you want to do to your… boyfriend?_

She still had a bit of a hard time saying the word - after all, he had been just Link, no titles, for over twenty years. But she enjoyed their current status, particularly  _certain perks_  that came along with a relationship.

Two weeks had passed since the night at the Opera House in which both discretely confessed their feelings.

They had informed their families after returning from Faron Woods - they were over the clouds although the news were not-so-surprising - but they were reluctant to make a public statement yet, for it would mean a lot of unnecessary pressure on them - especially Link, who had a hard time adapting after it was revealed he saved the King’s life.

Her mind wandered while she waited for the guard round to end.

_I have 70 seconds to go from my chamber door to Link’s room without being noticed. That would be about 40 steps down the hall. I hope he’s not asleep._

Zelda peeked from her door. The guard was already gone.

_Shit. Me and my overthinking._

She dashed down the hall. As she was about to knock, the door suddenly opened, and she was taken inside. She didn’t even had the time to gasp.

‘Love, your stealth skills are horrible’, Link lightly scolded her, ‘I could hear ya stomping down the hall from a mile! What are you here for at this time…’

He was interrupted by the sight of what was underneath her silky dressing gown.

Loose, slightly messy mane. Her soft skin. blue-violet lace. The gleam in her eyes indicating she is not going to leave until satisfied.

_Tease._

His heart skipped a beat, and the word breathless was short to describe his state. He could feel his skin go from brown to crimson from head to toes.

‘Ms. Impa will kill me if she finds us like this’, was the only thing he uttered. ‘And the rest of your family, and probably mine too’.

‘My godmother knows we’re together’, she groaned. ‘And we’re both sensible adults’.

‘I think you should go back to your room anyway’, he said softly. Even the tips of his pointy ears were blushed.

‘I mean, I could’, she purred, ‘but why would I want to?’

At those words, Link put aside all his bashfulness.

He took her in his arms and strode towards the bed, surprising her.

‘Yay! I knew you wouldn’t resist me’, she bragged.

‘Don’t claim victory so soon, Zelda’, Link affirmed, ‘You ain’t leaving here ‘till tomorrow morning’.

And Link was not a man of empty threats.


	8. Master Quest: Light

_(In a different) Light_

During the Twilight, everything was tinted in muted, cold tones. Seasons changed, but the same hues remained. If Hyrule was a watercolor, it was as if someone had gone overboard with the washes of grey.

Then, the war ended, and slowly everything went back to the way it was before. The arrival of warmer weather brought brighter colors to the land, restored joy in the people, and the light washed all over the land again.

But there was a difference. For me, everything was still dull.

Monotony had beaten me down, more than any enemy did.

One day in Summer, I received a letter with the royal crest stamped over a bright red seal wax, signed by the most unlikely friend this country bumpkin made during the war: the very Princess of Hyrule.

The last time I saw her she was as dulled as I, just like the day we saw each other for the first time. But the night I met her again, I saw a spark in her. She was the Princess of Light, after all.

As the days passed, I felt somehow, her spark lighted me. The duties I had accepted had filled me with motivation, drive, and purpose. Sharing time together, and thus basking in her light, helped me see things brightly again. Getting to know Zelda had lifted the hazy image I had of her. Instead of an ice queen rumors talked about, I met a sensible and serene, but determined woman, with a heart full of love, despite the tribulations in her life.

_‘Don’t be fooled by her cold and stern appearance! Zelda is warm, lively, tender, and bright…  She is like a firefly on a Summer night!’_

Midna was so right about her.

But everything changed when I brought her to Ordon. The night of our arrival she made our Triforces resonate.

And I felt like she took some of her divine light and gave it to me, healing the cracks and tatters in my weary spirit.

After that night, I felt my world shift into one bathed in light.

The following morning I woke up to golden sunlight, and bright cerulean skies peeking from the array of greens of the foliage of the trees.

Next to me, in the other cot, was her, still sleeping, luminous as ever.

And earthly as never before.


	9. Master Quest: Forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Extra days of the first Zelink Week of 2017. These take place in The Young Queen's Diaries series, and are mostly from Link's pov.

_(A home in the) Forest_

Among a sea of trees and vegetation, a bunch of small, scattered cottages pops out.

Inside a green painted cottage, a young blonde woman in simple clothing is focused in the housework: fetching water from the well, cleaning, making the bed, preparing food.

Once everything was done, she realized something was amiss.

_The flowers!_

She threw the apron on a chair and hurried to the door.

She opened the door, and to her surprise,  someone was at the door.

‘I thought you might like these, Zelda’, a familiar voice said, presenting a large bunch of wildflowers to her.

‘Link!’, she exclaimed, receiving the flowers, ‘I thought you would get home later’.

‘The job was easier than expected’, he explained merrily, ‘so Groose and I went back earlier’.

‘I’m so glad!’ -she gave him a peck on the lips- wash yourself and let’s have supper together’.

.

.

.

Link gasped as he suddenly woke up.

It was the break of dawn.

 

_What the heck was that dream?!_

He sat on the cot, rubbed his eyes, and looked around.

Still in Ordon, in his house.

Zelda was on the other cot, in front of him, deeply asleep.

_‘What a dream I just had’_ , he thought.  _'My mind is tryin’ to play tricks on me’._

Link remembered last night’s image of Zelda in her Ordonian clothes, as if she were a wife waiting for her husband to come home, and sighed deeply.

_'Even if I was your wife in a past life?’_  , her voice echoed in his head.

_Stop dreamin’! She’ll always be outta your league, no matter what happened in your past lives! You can have all the titles in the world, but at the end of the day, you’re still a country bumpkin!_

Link shook his head, trying to get rid of the awkward sensation. He got up, and headed to the forest for a walk before going to Rusl’s for breakfast.


	10. Master Quest: Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Extra days of Zelink Week 2017.

_(A burning ring of) Fire_ **  
**

Link didn’t know when his feelings of admiration for Zelda turned into something more than that.

But he clearly realized the moment it was not just a crush for her, it was love in all its burning glory.

And something completely new to him: desire.

She had given him for his birthday a beautiful wooden case, filled with the finest drawing supplies he had seen in his nineteen years of life.

Link felt as if one of Zelda’s light arrows pierced through his heart and spread a soft fire all over his body.

He already knew who would be the subject of his first drawing.

Later in the night, as they returned to the castle, he avoided her falling into the cobblestone streets holding her by the waist.

He had never realized  _how lovely were the curves of her body_.

She apologized profusely and blushed. Link offered his arm to avoid another accident. It wouldn’t be so nice if people knew the elegant and graceful Princess smashed her face on the street because she was drunk.

She held tightly to him and both continued their walk. Zelda rested her head on his shoulder. She smelled faintly of flowers: lavender, magnolias, roses, cherry blossoms.

He felt her nose almost make a trail on his neck, her breath grazing his skin. Stray strands of her milkmaid braids tickled his already reddened cheeks.

‘You smell nice’, she said in a husky tone that gave him goosebumps, ‘like wet grass after the rain’.

Her unintentionally seductive gesture set him aflame, and made his imagination run wild for a moment.

_Her scent mixed with his._

_Her closeness._

_How would a kiss from her rosy, parted lips feel._

_How those curves would look like in a state of undress._

_The beauty mark she has deep down her cleavage._

He laughed nervously.

Her demeanor changed immediately, as her embarrassment was evident.

He left her in her chamber, safe and sound. Link joked with her, trying to take his mind away from his previous thoughts.

As they bid each other goodnight, his imagination became quieter, but the wildfire in his heart burned bright, for every time her name came to his mind, he felt a ring of fire tighten around him.

_Zelda, what kind of magic spell did you cast on me?_ , he thought as he drifted to sleep.


	11. Master Quest: Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Extra days of Zelink Week 2017. Setting is The Young Queen's Diaries, but from Link's pov.

_(A reflection in the) Water_ **  
**

In the weeks I have been working for - or with - Zelda, I have seen her progressively show the layers of her personality. The reserved and regal persona of our first meeting gave way to a warm woman that cares for everyone.

People mostly focus on the reflection shown on shallow waters, but I get to see what’s deep within her.

I consider myself lucky for being one of the few people with whom she throws away all protocol. To her I’m just Link, titles don’t matter to her - especially when we wolf down one of Uli’s pumpkin pies while chatting the night away.

In the morning she was all regal, greetin’ the rookies, in her pretty yellow gown, looking like the Sun itself had fallen down to the earth, and then she is a cheeky sunshine girl planning an escapade.

She asked me to go with her to Lake Hylia the following afternoon, so she could pray at Lanayru’s Spring. Of course I said yes.

After the day of training ended, I informed my men I would have to take the following evening off - Rusl would cover for me - to escort the Princess. Nobody questions those kinds of orders.

When I went to Telma’s to check on my folks, they told me they’d been with Zelda and Impaz during the afternoon; they had just returned from runnin’ errands. Uli, Telma, Ilia, and even Colin were as if they were hidin’ somethin’ from me. They are up to something, and if Zelda is on board… well, anything can happen. But surely is none of my business.

The following day had the same routine as before, until I arrived to her chamber and saw her with her simple dress and milkmaid braids.  _She looks so darn pretty with ‘em._

On our way to the lake, Zelda tells me about the things she wants to do for her people, to give them a better life. She says she does it for the common good, but I know it ain’t just because of that.

It’s ‘cause she has a heart of gold. And something else.

As she prays, I observe her, surrounded by the serene beauty of the spring, which brings bittersweet memories to me: Midna was attacked here, after all.

I know Zelda prays for the Goddesses to light her way in the troubled waters of ruling a country.

She fears so much failing her people, ‘cause she knows some of her ancestors haven’t been as kind as her, and although no one ever dared to recriminate, a part of her will always feel some guilt for surrendering to Zant.

‘I’m with you. I didn’t took those oaths for funsies, y’know’, I remind her.

She smiled widely, feeling some comfort in my humble words.

As I rowed the boat we used to cross the lake, the stars reflected on the quiet waters, as if they came down the sky to cheer her up.


	12. Master Quest: Shadow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt for the extra days of Zelink Week.

That morning her eyes were not the sparkly, bright blue-violet of always.

She had cried, and dark circles around her eyes showed lack of sleep. Anger and powerlessness hid behind her polite facade.

The infamous Kings’ Records had arrived the day before to her chambers, and she had just shut inside it to read them all in one sitting.

I just had read a portion, and my stomach turned in disgust. The account was as gruesome as written words can be.

For a person of such a high moral standards as her, this is the lowest kind of blow. She had told me before some of them had been screw-ups, but this is an entirely new level.

I wish I could comfort her somehow.

Later, in the evening we chatted about my master - The Hero’s Shade - while eating pumpkin pie. She was her usual self, but I feel there’s an underlying shadow beneath that curiosity for my past: she just wants to take her mind away from  _her_ history.

I don’t care much about my past, you see, and although I’d love to have my parents alive I feel I’ve had a good life so far. And maybe I could have had a different fate. The Goddesses work in mysterious ways, for sure.

I just follow her lead because I want to see her happy, but her constant effort for caring for others instead of taking care of herself is going to cost her dearly.

She rarely stops during the day, she only unwinds at night - and even at that time she keeps going, for as I’ve seen, she writes ideas that come to her mind, and also keeps a journal.

I know sooner or later she will stumble or come across something that will force her to slow down, or she will have a breakdown.

I just hope I will be there when it happens to break her fall. 


	13. Master Quest: Spirit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Extra days of Zelink Week 2017. 
> 
> Zelda has a dream in which she remembers parts of her past lives. Slightly NSFW.

Spirit (Maiden)

_‘Who are you?, the startled girl with a coif told the boy in green._

_The boy’s eyes showed disbelief. She didn’t remember him after all._

_But he was happy to see her again, at the same courtyard where they met so long ago._

_._

_._

_._

_‘Sleep with me, please, Link’, the blonde young woman said, peeking from the tent, ‘I’m still not used to the surface’._

_‘Alright, Zelda… just let me put down the fire first’, he said with a smile._

_As they cuddled in the blankets, the sounds of nature and the soft breeze slowly made them sleepy._

_‘Link, I wanted to tell you something since the day of the ceremony’, she whispered, holding him from the back. ‘I… am…I…’ - she hesitated - ‘I love you’._

_She heard his heart jump at those words. He remained silent for what to Zelda seemed an eternity. The thousand years she spent on the seal were just the blink of an eye compared to this._

_And then, she heard a sob. Was he crying?_

_‘I am sorry’, he said, wiping his tears. ‘All I did since that day… all the fighting, all the restless days I traveled the surface, all the wounds I got, it was for you’ - he turned to her - ‘it was all for you’._

_Zelda smiled as tears fell freely, and wiping a stray tear on his cheek._

_‘Of course I love you too, my Zelda’, he said, kissing her forehead, ‘I’ll love you forever’._

_They kissed themselves to sleep._

_._

_._

_._

_Two tiny redheads bowed to her, both trying to contain their excitement. ‘It’s the Queen!’, they murmured to each other._

_‘Are these your little girls, Commander Link?’, Zelda asked. ‘They are adorable!’_

_The girls were fawning at the Queen’s compliment, bowing again to her, both starry-eyed._

_‘Indeed they are, Your Highness’, the man in the golden armor said._

_An armor that was a token of affection so long ago._

_He kept it. That made her smile, remembering his face when she gave it to him when he became Commander of the Army._

_._

_._

_._

_‘I love this painting’, the blonde Princess tells the young man next to her. ‘They look so happy… and so in love’. She sighed._

_‘You are so romantic, Princess’, he points out, ‘but they certainly look glad to be with each other’._

_‘Wouldn’t it be lovely to find your soulmate, despite the dire circumstances?’, she said with a bright smile._

_He couldn’t deny her that. He just smiled to her and nodded._

_._

_._

_._

_She asked him to make her his that day._

_Despite the fact that they already knew each other’s bodies by memory - there was no place their eyes, hands or mouth hadn’t known already, it was a little awkward._

_They went to a small cave behind a waterfall in the forest. He had laid a cot and lit a couple of candles, but the light of the full moon bathed everything._

_They let themselves go. Time did not exist in each other’s arms._

_They kissed each other , tearing their clothes away quickly, until they were panting wildly and blinded by their desire._

_‘Please, take me now’, she begged him. ‘Take me, I’m yours forever…’_

_When he entered her body, both felt like they had found home. Their bodies entwined were one being, their moans,sighs, and cries of pleasure a new language. They melted into each other throughout that warm Summer night, as if a magic spell had befallen upon them._

_Their release showed them paradise existed, as long as they had each other._

_After that day, the young lovers couldn’t get their hands off each other. Every day they discovered new ways to arouse and enjoy each other. The new land was their playground, and it was all for themselves._

_Tenderness and lust were hand in hand for them._

_He knew that if he caressed her breasts as he thrusted himself inside her, it would drive her insane, making her scream for more, twisting her body lasciviously._

_She knew that if he kissed her in the neck in the morning, breakfast, or whatever other activity would have to wait for a couple of hours, for his hunger for her had to be satisfied first._

_Every night they fell asleep exhausted, naked, and infinitely happy._

_._

_._

_._

_‘This is it’, the brown-skinned young woman sighed, ‘We made it. This is going to be New Hyrule’._

_The new land was vast, fertile and wild. A clean slate._

_She tried to keep her usual stance, but she was nervous nonetheless._

_‘You will do great’, a blond lad in stiff green clothes reassured her, patting her shoulder._

_‘I know we’ll be alright’, she smirked, ‘I’m leading this, after all’._

_The youngsters, surrounded by the ship’s crew laughed together, their hearts full of hope._

_._

_._

_._

_‘Zelda… hear me out…’, a voice echoed. ‘you, who carry the blood of the Spirit Maiden, Hylia incarnate, awaken the memories that are engraved into your soul!’_

Zelda shot her eyes open. She was on her bed. Her heart was racing, and her head was in a haze.

There were a thousand memories in her mind all at once. The only thing they had in common:

They were all her once.


	14. Master Quest: Time

Time (will tell)

  
One of the small pleasures I’ve acquired while living at the castle is to enjoy a warm bath every evening. Mostly to relax my sore muscles after the daily training - and to ease my restless head of the same thoughts I’ve had lately.

She is so close in all the ways possible: our rooms are one door apart, we share as much time as possible together; I  _know_  her: she likes her tea with cream, no sugar; she doesn’t eat much meat, her favorite color is lavender, she loves to have fresh flowers on her desk, she always checks her grammar and spelling three times before signing a letter, she does this subtle eye roll when she is bored while holding court.

I could go on forever with the little things I have learned from her during all this time.

Ah! And that darn mole I haven’t been able to erase from my head since I saw it.

Should I tell her how I feel?

Maybe. For my sanity.

But it would be the most stupid thing to do. I would ruin our friendship, which I value dearly; she has become my best friend, after all. She is not interested in marriage, as far as I’ve seen. Such an amazin’ woman should find someone as noble as her - or at least someone compatible.

Someone that can make her truly happy.

There is only one thing I’m sure of: time fixes everything.

So, going to Snowpeak with the rookies for training, and to make the place useful again is a good idea. Once all this Gerudo shenanigans are over, I’ll depart.

It’ll be like living in Ordon again, except for the snow: plenty of physical work, lots of camaraderie, and most importantly, away from her.

  
Will I ever get over her? Only time will tell.


	15. Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First prompt of the second Zelink Week of 2017. TP Zelink.

A sea of golden brown tresses spilled on the pillow, strands covering a beautiful oval-shaped face. 

I can only see her rosy lips, the tip of her nose, and the blush of her cheeks peeking out. 

Her chest softly rising as she breathes. She sleeps on her side, facing me, dangerously close to me.

_I’ve awakened to a similar scene before._

Yep, the night after I brought Zelda to Ordon. I swore that day I had never seen her so earthly.

_Oh, how wrong I was._

She’s in my bed,  _naked_ , barely covered by the sheets and duvet.

_She slept with me last night._

It was more amazing than any fantasy I might’ve had - Goddesses know my mind went wild _more than once_ dreaming of this.

And now she’s  _mine_. In her words: mind, body, and soul, all for me to take.

But I’m not just taking her… _I’m hoggin’ her all to myself!_

_Goddesses, please don’t punish this country boy for being so greedy. And lusty. Specially lusty. You dunno what she does to me._

_And now I’ve no darn idea of what to do now!_

_Should I wake her up? No way, I’d ruin the mood… Dang, I gotta go to train! The rookies are waiting for me!_

I get up, wash up, and get dressed, never taking my eyes off her, as if I blink, she will vanish into thin air, just like in my dreams.

But she  _doesn’t._

She is flesh -  _oh gods, her slightly plump thighs and hips are to die for_ \- and bones -  _Darn, is that a hickey above her clavicle? Shucks I hope she can hide it, shouldn’t she?_  - and light -  _she’s kinda glowy, isn’t she?_

I crouch next to her on my bed, and with all of my willpower, I see myself forced to wake her up: I start with a kiss on her always flowery-scented hair, and her forehead.

‘Love, wakey wakey’, I mutter, and her eyes flutter open; she shyly sits on the bed, and realizes she is undressed.

_Oh Goddesses, how can you be so painfully beautiful. Hylia, just kill me already. Or don’t._

I just wanna wake up every day with this sight for the rest of my life; see her change through the years - I bet she’ll even look more beautiful with time - but always still the same.

_My_  Zelda.


	16. Daily Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second prompt for the second Zelink Week of 2017. SS Zelink.

Not much has changed since they live on the surface. Zelda still is an early bird, Link still a sleepyhead.

She makes breakfast, he wakes up their children and helps them.

_Well, he helps Ina. Impa is so independent. One of these days she’ll fly on her own anytime._

Breakfast has changed, though. The variety of sources of food has allowed them to make different meals every day - or for every family member.

_Porridge with berries for Link and I, bread with jam for Impa, two slices of lemon pound cake for Ina._

_Tea for me. Milk for the girls and Link. He always says it’s never too late to grow taller._

_(He just likes it.)_

Their house on the small village of surface settlers is very similar to the ones back there, but the view is absolutely new: the greenery of trees, the constant chirping of birds and sounds of animals and insects - Zelda had never known the songs of the crickets and cicadas. Now she doesn’t know how her life would be  _without_  them.

‘Do you miss Skyloft?’, Link asks often.

‘Yes, and no’, is her answer, doing any household chore. ‘I miss the night sky, not the squalls, or the humidity, not the cold. I just love it here. Everything is so lush, and verdant… So  _alive_ ’.

Her love of nature shows on her garden, every day carefully tended; the growing vegetables - pumpkins, tomatoes, peppers, and so many others - and orchards, proof of her dedication.

The apple orchard was the first thing she planted on her garden, while their house was being built, over fifteen years ago.

_Impa was born months after that… Has really so much time passed by?_

She remembers her journey to find her destiny as the Spirit Maiden as vividly as if it had been yesterday.

_The Surface.  
_

_Impa._

_The springs._

_The gate of Time._

_Link’s face every time we were close, yet so far._

_When I sealed myself. Goddesses, he was so brokenhearted._

_The warmth of his embrace when he came to wake me up._

_When we decided to stay on the surface._

‘Mum, you are spacing out again’, Ina, her youngest daughter - a living four year-old copy of her husband with pigtails - tells her as both are harvesting the fruits. ‘what are you thinking about?’

‘I’m sorry, darling’, a startled Zelda apologizes. ‘I was remembering when your papa and I came for the first time here’.

‘When he woke you up like a fairytale princess?’, the little girl batted her eyelashes, ogling one of the freshly picked apples, ‘With a true love’s kiss’, she grabbed one and kissed it repeatedly.

‘Yes’, she laughed at her daughter’s remarks, gesturing her to go inside the house.

The cawing of a loftwing made them turn their eyes to the front yard, a crimson bird gracefully landing near the house.

‘Mama! Mama!’, a blonde young lady with freckles and rosy cheeks, wearing a knight’s uniform, jumped off the bird’s back, and ran towards Zelda, ‘I made it!’

‘She is going to be the first Skyloft knight from the surface!’, Link announced, full of pride.

‘Congratulations, sweetie!’, she held her daughter, ‘I’m so proud of you!’

‘Can we have raspberry pie to celebrate?’

‘Of course, Impa’. She patted her head, as all of them headed to the house.

 

Later that  night, Zelda was restless, unable to fall asleep, staring at the ceiling.

‘Link’, she shook her husband a little, waking him up in a daze. ‘Do you still love me?’

He looked at her, truly befuddled, and made her wait for his answer.

‘Yes… and no…’, he mumbled, and leaned sideways to face her . ‘Let me explain it…you know I’m not eloquent at these times’.

‘You  _never_  are, sleepyhead’.

‘I still love you, but not like when we were seventeen’ - He held her hand - ‘I love you more.  _Better_ ’.

‘Better?’

‘You gave me those two little ladies next door, you are a perfect partner, how can I not love you that way?’, he hugged her, almost squeezing her. ‘You have stood by me since I was a little kid… I’ve always been pretty much a dweeb’.

‘You’re not’, she corrected him, booping his nose, ‘You’re sweet, kind, and caring’.

‘Zelda, you know I could spend all the rest of my life  _sleeping_ ’, he cleared out, ‘to avoid that I promised to never forget _I arrived late_ when you needed me to protect you at the gate of time, and you still love me despite all my shortcomings’.

‘I do, Link’ - she kissed his forehead - ‘forever and always’, both promptly dozing off.

As the first rays of sun peeked through the window, Zelda rose, and greeted her husband as she did every day.

‘Good morning, sleepyhead’.


	17. Perfume

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Third day of the second Zelink Week of 2017. TP Zelink

She can’t run away from me.

I will  _always_  find her.

Not ‘cause of the endless cycle of reincarnation were bound to, but her smell.

Some days, when she’s restless and overworked, she wants to be on her own for a little while, and goes wandering around. Most of the time it’s at the library, her drawing room, or takin’ a stroll somewhere in Castletown.

I respect her ‘me time’, and leave her to her own devices - I find myself running away from the castle with Epona from time to time for a little ride and fresh air.

But she lets me know when her personal moment has a tinge of mischief: I get these little scented notes, with messages such as “ _let us play hide and seek_ ”, or “ _chase me, wolf boy_ ” - my personal favorite; I swear  _I melt_ when I see those words written in her precious handwriting.

They might vary, but the perfume on them is always the same.

_Lavender._

_Peonies._

_Roses._

_Camellias._

_Jasmine._

_Magnolias._

Her favorite flowers, a lil’ bit like her also: elegant, discreet, tender, sweet, and delicately sensuous. She always has any of them on her desk. Sometimes she sprinkles the petals on her bath - the petals stick to her skin and clothes.

_I never thought I’d envy those flowers stuck to her skin._

And there’s where her flowery trail begins. Her studio, then the castle courtyard. It lingers a lil’ more ‘round the fountain - she loves to sit there and observe people for a while - before going to Malo Mart.  _Maybe she fancies somethin’?_

The grocery stalls full of fresh food - she already passed by - but I feel her scent is somehow everywhere.

After some twists and turns, it lingers again in Jovani’s house - the cats and dogs have all been petted by her.

And then it hits me.

_I’ve been misled._

You tricky woman.

I wish I was a wolf again just to ask these rascals where you went.

The first stars appeared in the sky, and I had ran around aimlessly through town. But, after I pass by Agitha’s door, the trail goes strong again.

And stronger.

And it wraps tightly around me, like her sweet embrace before bedtime, tangled all over me; I just surrender to her traces of perfume…

‘Gotcha’, a whisper says with a laugh, before holding me from behind. 

It was her.

‘I see you lost me’, she turned around, showing off her figure, clad in a dusky pink summer dress and a light shawl, her hair loosely braided. ‘I had to follow you after Agitha and I saw you pass by running like a wild animal’.

‘ _Almost_  lost, woman’ - I can’t admit defeat even if she looks that pretty - ‘them kittens and pups got some love from ya’.

‘I could not resist since they were so friendly’, she shrugged. ‘dinner and a pint at Telma’s for your troubles? My treat’ - she held onto my arm - ‘and later… You can have  _all the love_  you want from me’.

‘Sold, wifey’, I surrendered, ‘I’m the luckiest loser in Hyrule’.


	18. Dark Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fourth day of the Second Zelink Week of 2017. TP Zelink.

‘I had recurrent dream, well, actually a nightmare, after Midna left and everything went back to normal’, Zelda confessed to Link one evening, while having tea and pumpkin pie on her room, after they were done for the day. ‘It stopped happening before I summoned you’.

‘What’s it ‘bout?’, Link munched the last chunk of pie crust, curious about her story.

‘My body was turned into the puppet of the Demon King and I had a sort of death match against you… my skin was blue and my eyes like gleaming gold’.

Link choked to the point of having Zelda patting softly his back, quite worried.

‘That…  _really_  happened’, he coughed, ‘I fought against…yer body’.

‘How come you did not tell me?’, Zelda paled.

‘Midna and I felt too guilty’, Link admitted, looking like a sorry puppy, ‘Because we beat you up, and you didn’t deserve it, even if yer body was trying to kill us’.

‘Was I scary?’, she asked, not looking at him.

‘Very’, he nodded, ‘You looked like a goddess o’ wrath, cold, deadly and  _beautiful_ ’. He blushed, immediately realizing his tongue had slipped a little, putting too much emphasis on the last word.

Zelda was quite reflexive for a moment.

‘I guess I can live with that’, she sighed, sipping her tea. ‘ _goddess of wrath_  is a nice title to add, specifically when you want to intimidate some pompous arses’ - she sighed - ‘I am deeply sorry if I harmed you’.

‘Same for you, Zelda’, he pouted a little, ‘I’m sorry’.

‘Please do not feel thus’, Zelda held his hands from across the table, ‘You and Midna did what you had in order to save us all’.

‘Alright, ma’am’, he nodded, putting his guilt a little aside after her words. ‘Anyway, you shouldn’t be adding that nickname’, he added, playing with the crumbs of his dish. ‘You’re too sweet a person to have such a dark side, there ain’t no darkness in you, only light’.

Zelda was quite surprised by her friend’s comment, turning her cheeks slightly pink.

‘Thanks for the compliment, but I consider you are absolutely  _the sweetest_  of us both’, she just answered with a timid laugh, and bid Link goodnight soon afterwards.

Before drifting to sleep, she couldn’t stop smiling.

_He thinks I am sweet._

Neither did he.


	19. Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fifth day of the second Zelink Week 2017. BoTW Zelink.

Bare skin.

Caresses and touches in the dark of the night.

Kisses, mixed with moans and sighs.

Then, a body wincing with an unknown ache.

A male voice hissing.

 

‘What is it, Link?’, Zelda asked as she sat on their bed, disheveled and aroused. ‘Are you alright?’

‘Yes, it’s just a stinging on my ribs’, he rubbed his side. ‘it happens whenever the weather is going to change. I’m already used to it’.

The scar of a stalker guardian laser beam, that goes right through him, from the large, almost star-shaped scar on his back to the small, round one on the lower part of his ribcage.

‘That shot was meant for me’, she remembered, caressing the lightly pigmented skin of the healed wound on her beloved’s torso. ‘You shielded me’.

‘It was worth it’. Link stroked her hair, stamping a kiss along her jawline. ‘You are here now’ - another kiss, down her neck - ‘with me’ - he laid her back on the mattress - ‘and I hope I haven’t killed the mood’.

‘You haven’t, dear’. She smiled warmly, welcoming him once again into her arms, and into her body. ‘Can I kiss your pain away, Link?’, she whispered, placing her lips softly on his skin.

Link gave her an earnest smile.

‘You already did’.


	20. Make Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day six of the second Zelink Week of 2017. OoT Zelink, continuation of a prompt a user sent in Tumblr.

He had unfurled a fire like no other.

With that innocent, chaste kiss he gave her, that was just meant to prove he knew how to do do so, Zelda realized she wanted more of these, and so much more from him.

Chaste.

Open mouthed.

Wet, slick ones.

Ones that would end with her biting his lower lip just enough to get his hair stand on end.

The mere thought of tasting his lips again, feeling his scent of cedar and pines, and revel in his warm embrace send thrills all over her. 

But to appease such desires, she had to devise a plan.

“Link, meet me at the Library”, the note requested, and there he went.

He walked down the halls surrounded by enormous bookcases, unaware of the princess’ set-up.

And then a slender gloved hand dragged him inside a narrow aisle between shelves.

‘Why are you hiding?’, he asked in a whisper, ‘I’ve been looking for you for quite a while!’.

‘You took too long!’, she scolded him.

‘I’m not that good at hiding as you’.

‘I’m not as good at kissing as you’, she blurted, face aflame, hands grabbing his shirt collar, her parted lips crashing against his.

He froze for a millisecond, then he melted when her fingers trailed from his collar to the back of his neck to the brim of his hat, as she sucked his lower lip just a little before breaking the kiss, making him feel she had left him breathless.

‘Liar’, he told her, not meeting her gaze, ‘That was amazing’.


	21. Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seventh prompt of second Zelink week 2017. OoT Zelink.

_“What is life? A madness. What is life? An illusion, a shadow, a story. And the greatest good is little enough; for all life is a dream, and dreams themselves are only dreams.”_

_\- Pedro Calderón de la Barca_

* * *

 

Link slept peacefully in his room at the castle. The spring breeze and warmth of the weather were more than enough for him to leave his window slightly open.

But there was another, quite private reason: a  _certain princess_ would often come to visit at unlikely hours, always because of the bouts of insomnia she had been having for a long time.

A creak on the wood frame, and a soft, girly voice calling ‘ _Liiink…_ ’ was enough to wake him up.

‘Come in, Zelda’.

The young princess, barefoot and messy-haired, clad on a nightgown and robe, entered the room, and against her host’s grumbling, got in bed with him.

‘Don’t hog the blankets!’, he nagged, tugging the covers to his side, ‘and don’t you dare to put your -  _argh!_ ’

‘Cold feet?’, Zelda snuggled against him, ‘Sorry not sorry. You are  _always_  toasty’.

‘Not fair’.

‘And yet, you’re cuddling with me’, she observed. ‘I dreamt about Sheik again’.

‘Interesting’. The name immediately caught his attention. ‘Tell me about them’.

‘We were at Kakariko Village. You were looking for something in the well, I think’ - she played with the ends of her strawberry blonde hair - ‘and I taught you a tune in the ocarina’.

‘Do I have any idea you are Sheik?’, he asked, eyes knowing of everything that happened on that “dream” of hers.

‘Not yet, but I’m  _dying_  to tell you’. She rested her head on his chest and remained silent. ‘I have always to stop myself from tearing up my mask and scream  _“it is I, Zelda!”_ ’.

To his surprise, she started crying.

‘I don’t know why I feel so sad after these dreams’, she wiped her eyes. ‘I feel as if had done a terrible thing to you’.

‘You haven’t done anything wrong’.

_You just wanted to give me a second chance._

_I’m making the most of it._

_I will always miss Navi, but I got to grow up with you._

‘Can I stay a little longer? I always feel better when I’m with you’, she held on to him.

‘I’m fine with it, as long as Impa doesn’t find us’, he kissed her hair, and nuzzled into it tenderly.

‘She won't’.

Later, as dawn rose, Zelda left his bed. Link was sleeping soundly.

_Why do they feel so real?_

_Why do I always send him back in time?_

_Why do I feel so guilty?_

She stroked his face in silence, left and dashed through the halls to head back to her room as quickly as possible, despite the lack of guards on duty.

She combed her hair, looking at the first rays of the sun from her window. Her mind was restless as ever.

_What if I really did what I dreamt? It’s like the goddesses will never make me forget._

_No way._

_It’s just a dream._

_Nothing else, nothing more._


	22. Extra Days: First Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second Zelink week bonus. TP Zelink. Innuendos galore.

‘Link, I think it is time we do what you suggested the other day’, Zelda commented during lunch in the Ordon house.

He almost dropped his spoon, eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

‘You really wanna do it, love?, Link asked his wife. ‘There’s no way back if we do it’.

‘I do’, Zelda answered decidedly. ‘I should have done it with you a long time ago. Do you want to give it a try after lunch?’

‘Sure thang, love’. He smiled dearly. ‘I’m so darn happy you trust me with something so delicate’.

* * *

 

‘Is it going to hurt?’, she asked, as she lay on the couch.

‘Not much, love. I promise I’ll be gentle’.

‘Alright, then go ahead’. Zelda inhaled deeply, head resting on a pillow.

‘Breathe in, and relax’, he stroked her hair, ‘It’ll hurt if you don’t’.

A gasp.

Then a sob.

Then a pleading moan echoed, loud enough to scare all the birds on the roof, and put the neighbors on alert, Ilia heading to their door, almost kicking it down.

‘WHAT THE HECK IS GOING…?!’, she shouted furiously, then shutting up abruptly.

A needle on Link’s hands, ready to pierce Zelda’s left earlobe. The right ear, already wearing a rose-cut amethyst, mounted on a gold stud earring. A couple drops of  blood on a towel placed over her shoulders.

The slap of a facepalm.

‘Do you realize you have to numb it with some ice before piercing the earlobe, you ding-dong?!’, she yelled at her friend. ‘That’s  why she was screaming like that!’

‘It’s the first time I do it on someone else other than m’self!’

‘Then how did you do it back then?’, Ilia asked, incredulous at what she just heard.

‘Just like this!’

‘You are a brute, for sure’, she pointed at him before leaving, ‘I’ll bring some ice before you continue, or all of Ordon will think you are doing weird stuff’.

The couple looked at each other, and blushed furiously.


	23. Costumes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonus day: BoTW meets Windwaker.

‘ _Ahoooy_!’, Zelda greeted Link as she came out from their room, hair in a bun, white cropped pants, vest, sandals, and a red scarf on her neck.

‘I see you already got in character’. Link was already wearing his green tunic.

‘So are you,  _matey or me hearty_!’, she pointed out his green hat. ‘Are you comfy with that thing?’

‘Aye, aye, Cap’n Zelda!’, he saluted her, almost as if his older self came back for a second, ‘It looks stuffy, but it’s perfectly fresh’.

‘Anchors aweigh then,  _me jolly lad_!’, she patted his back, and sprinted outside the inn, to mingle with the inhabitants of Lurelin Village. ‘Our ship awaits, to find new lands and treasures!  _Yo-ho-ho_!’

The people organized every year a festival dedicated to an ancient myth of a young hero that sailed the seas, along with a crew of pirates led by a princess in disguise.

Food, dance, and games lasted from dusk to dawn, and as the sun peeked out from the southern seas, the tired princess and hero in disguises decided to take their roles  _very seriously_ , taking a raft to sail away.

‘You… are the.. captain, Zelda’, Link huffed, swinging the Korok leaf with all his energy, ‘You should be sailing instead of me’.

‘ _Matey_! Your captain is about to find some booty!’, she waved the Sheikah slate, ‘slow down!’

‘I already found mine’, he commented casually, looking at her rear discreetly.

‘You _swabber_! Do ye want to feed the fish?’, she faked offense.

‘At least  _I can swim_ , unlike you,  _landlubber_!’, he smirked.

‘Ye definitely have a deathwish, you scoundrel’, she just commented,eyes squinting at him. ‘I shall plunder you while you sleep!’

The raft approached a cluster of magenta boxes shown on the slate. Zelda excitedly started fishing them out of the water, faces ranging back and forth from sparkling joy to deep disappointment.

And then, truly something.

‘A golden rupee!’, she yelled, thrilled at her finding, ‘We’re rich!’

‘You realize this loot is worth more than that?’, he examined the goods, ‘We got a pair of opal earrings, two sapphires, three topaz, one ruby, and your favorite, a rusty broadsword’.

‘Throw it away’, she shooed with a pout, ’Unless you want to go pick on some chuchus, you love to see them explode ’.

Link’s eyes sparkled. ‘You get me’.

After a rushed return to the beach, and a chuchu chase, both returned to the inn, throwing themselves on their bed, covered in sand, tanned, and with a loot and smiles on their faces.


	24. Tribute to The Fallen Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last prompt. OoT Zelink.

_"In my head, there's just a supercut of us, all the magic we gave off, all the love we had and lost. In my head the visions never stop, these ribbons wrap me up, and when I reach for you..." - Lorde, Supercut._

* * *

 

Forty-two Poppies.

Her hands were covered in dirt, nails and cuticles encrusted with it, for she had never been one for manual labor, nor she had the tools to do it properly. It was a whim of the moment, that surprised the castle’s gardener.

She just sat among the bright red flowers, all in mourning attire, the darkness of her gown contrasting with the bright greens and red, looking with a bittersweet smile at the fruit of her work.

Zelda spent all night planting them on the courtyard.

_Their_  Courtyard.

She remembers so clearly: a restless blond boy, same age as her, wearing a green tunic and cap, surprised to see her.

His eyes had their childish gleam, but they had  _seen, lived_  things.

Some of them she knew. Most of them he took to his grave.

_He was always full of secrets._

_He didn’t even tell them to Malon._

_Poor thing, she was devastated. She had to cry for the both of us._

_How is it possible, after all you went through, you, Link, the Commander of the Hyrulean Army, had to die of a heart attack while training with the soldiers? The irony!_

_In the end, you left as suddenly as you came into my life._

_I’ll miss you forever._

_I just think I will never get over this. First Donovan earlier this year, and now you._

_The Goddesses have a wicked sense of humor._

_Maybe they just hate me for some reason._

‘Mother’, a deep, male voice she recognized well called. It belonged to a tall, robust man with thick straight brown hair and beard, clad in black clothes.

‘Daphnes’, she answered, ‘come have a sit with me, darling’. she patted the ground next to her.

‘Are you alright?’, he joined her, ‘You haven’t slept since we returned from the funeral, and you went to do… gardening? It’s so unlike you’.

‘I am, I just needed to do this’, she pointed at the flowers, ‘These were his favorite’.

Daphnes hummed a laugh, and scratched his dense beard. ‘Same color as auntie Malon’s hair’.

‘Yes’.

_Either that, or the crimson irises of Sheik._

_He loved those dreams I had. It’s like he weaved a story in his head. I always wondered if they were real._

_They were so vivid. I always felt awful after I woke up._

‘You had a thing for redheads too, remember when you said you were going to marry both Rosie  _and_  Lily? Cheeky.’

‘ _Mom_ , _I was ten_ at that time’, the prince’s face started to match the flowers. ‘And we were like bread and butter, always together, like siblings. Godfather Link and auntie Malon always said I could be either King of Hyrule or a ranch hand if I wanted; I had talent for both things’.

Zelda laughed, remembering her son running around Lon Lon Ranch with Link’s daughters, catching bugs, riding Epona, breaking pots with a slingshot, running away from Talon’s fearsome cuccos.

_They were such happy kids. Carefree, wild, and bright._

_So unlike the both of us._

_We carried sorrow, and a darkness in our hearts._

_We were old souls._

‘Same age when I met Link’.

Daphnes just nodded, realizing why she had planted such a precise number of plants. Adding ten, it was Link’s age.

‘You  _did love_  him’, Daphnes affirmed, not surprised.

‘Yes’. She smiled warmly. ‘And I loved your father too, don’t get the wrong idea’ - she elbowed him - ‘They were two different men, two different ways to love’.

‘I do get the idea, mom’. The prince rubbed his ribs. ‘I’m thirty-two, remember?’.

‘You’ll always be my baby’, Zelda pinched her son’s cheek, eyes full of mirth, laughter lines on her cheekbones and corners of her lips.

‘Don’t fool me and keep talking’, Daphnes chided his mother, ‘You had never told me about what happened exactly, I had just heard rumors from court’.

‘We were in love since we were fifteen’, she sighed,playing with a strand of her long, already grayed hair, ‘Your grandfather had already chosen my betrothed, your dad, when Link proposed. We knew he would probably not reconsider and lose the battle, but, Goddesses, oh Goddesses…’ - she burst into tears - ‘It was  _so worth_  fighting for it’.

Daphnes rubbed his mother’s back, who was undone in sobs; tears held back in his eyes and a knot in his throat. He waited for her to regain composture to keep listening to her story.

‘That’s why I didn’t shed a single tear at my father’s funeral: he never listened to what I had to say’, Zelda wiped her face with her muddy hands, leaving strokes of dirt on her cheeks, ‘whether it was Ganondorf, Link, or about saving the Gerudo from obliteration. I was just there to be pretty, silent, and to bear an heir. I worked to prove him wrong out of sheer spite’, she sniffled, ‘I spared you the  _pleasure_  of meeting him, you should be thankful to your old mom’.

The prince laughed at her mother’s sarcasm: He was born  _ten months_  after the King’s death.

‘On the way I also happened to shut up for eternity the filthy mouths of those gossipmongers of the court when you were born’, she smiled proudly at her son, ‘They were waiting for you to have blonde hair. As if your mother was a cheating tramp’.

Daphnes’ eyes widened. ‘Assholes’.

‘Anyway’, Zelda changed subject, ‘Even if we didn’t have a fairytale ending, we honored the friendship we always had. There is no greater love than the one that knows to let go, son’, she sighed, and gave one last look at the poppies. ‘And your father, may the Goddesses guard him on the Sacred Realm, gave me the most precious thing for a heartbroken woman like me’.

Daphnes brow raised at her last sentence.

‘Time’, she smiled. ‘He knew how I felt about Link, and waited patiently until he won me over… and he never, ever resented him, quite the opposite’.

‘He chose him as my godfather, didn’t he?’ 

‘Indeed’. 

She stood up, and dusted off her hands on her dirty black dress before putting on her gloves.

‘Let’s go see Malon once I get decent’, she told her son, ‘That ranch sure feels lonely when the girls and the kids go back to Ordon. That dork left her alone and I can’t allow her being that way. She doesn’t deserve it.’.

‘Of course, mom’.


End file.
